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submitted 7 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[-] [email protected] 82 points 7 months ago

Relevant xkcd alt-text 841.

For years, I took the wrong lesson from that Monster Cable experiment and only listened to my music through alligator-clipped coat hangers.

[-] JohnDClay 94 points 7 months ago

Here's the comic Pic

[-] [email protected] 57 points 7 months ago

I have a feeling that would pick up noise

[-] [email protected] 67 points 7 months ago

Nah stop with that audiophile snake oil non-sense

[-] [email protected] 13 points 7 months ago

If the connections are solid it wouldn't pick up any more noise than a 6.5mm to RCA adaptor would have. Any jiggle to the cable would result in popping or cracking though, depending on the configuration could be quite jarring.

[-] [email protected] 4 points 7 months ago

I think it does act like an antenna a little, so some noise is to be expected. Might be easy to attenuate that band though.

[-] [email protected] 6 points 7 months ago

Well every conductor is an antenna in theory, in practice it's the signal to noise ratio that matters, and I really don't think this would add anything noticeable. The sticky uppy bit on the OP is connected to ground though so that's negated.

[-] [email protected] 11 points 7 months ago

Especially with that makeshift antenna hanging 💀

[-] [email protected] 33 points 7 months ago

The antenna looking piece of wire is the ground so it doesn't matter if it picks up anything.

[-] [email protected] 4 points 7 months ago

I think noise coupling into ground could actually be a big issue. Depends if that ground is earth or just a local reference. The other wires still have "antenna" features though, so that's the obvious worry.

[-] [email protected] 18 points 7 months ago

That's the ground. It's probably not an issue.

[-] [email protected] 6 points 7 months ago

No more than a standard connection. Every cable inherently acts as an antenna, so that’s why we try to avoid running them parallel to power lines and other things that would give off audible interference. If you actually want to reject interference, you’d need a balanced signal. Regular RCA and 1/4” are both unbalanced, so they’ll both pick up interference regardless of how they’re tied together.

When dealing with unbalanced cable, the most important part is making sure your signal to noise ratio is good. If you can get a hot enough signal that your gain can be lowered, you may be able to reduce the interference completely below your noise floor. Of course there are arguments against this (like how running things that hot could potentially mean you’re clipping your outputs, which introduces a whole host of other issues) but as a general rule, you want your gain to be as low as possible, so you can reduce the amount of background interference and noise you’re picking up.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago

I'm still very surprised that the most rudimentary of antenna can transmit and pick up signals acceptably. Like everything else in reality, I imagined that it'd have TONS of noise but somehow it's all still audible.

[-] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago

Insulating tape on the signal wires, then foil tucked around that ground wire.

[-] [email protected] 42 points 7 months ago

You can order an adapter for like a dollar on multiple websites. I mean yeah, there's no Radio Shack anymore, but this seems unnecessary.

[-] [email protected] 39 points 7 months ago

I think this is more for that time you're at a gig and realise you're missing the adapter.

[-] [email protected] 27 points 7 months ago

That does make sense, although it would be weird to go to a gig and not have a 1/4" to RCA adapter but happen to have large-gauge copper wire.

[-] [email protected] 31 points 7 months ago

They just leave that shit in the walls in almost every building

[-] [email protected] 4 points 7 months ago

Proprietors generally don't care for big holes in their drywall.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago

Search for access panels such as water shutoff valves.

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[-] [email protected] 9 points 7 months ago

That's true...

Might be an electrician.

[-] [email protected] 6 points 7 months ago

Much easier to procure at a random hardware store than the adapter though ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

[-] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago

Exactly what I just said before I saw your comment. Who carries thick copper wire with them regularly?

[-] [email protected] 5 points 7 months ago

Overnight? Do you deliver overminute?

[-] [email protected] 5 points 7 months ago

... And you just happen to have a piece of like 12 or 14 AWG copper wire on hand?

[-] [email protected] 7 points 7 months ago
[-] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago

Nah, I only carry around 6 gauge wire in my pocket.

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[-] [email protected] 24 points 7 months ago

You don’t always have the luxury of time though. I work in entertainment, and I’ve definitely scrapped adapters together in a pinch. When you have a show starting in 15 minutes and a musician rolls up with some bespoke gear with weird connections, your only real choice is to bodge something together and make it work.

Nothing quite like seeing five adapters chained together, to go from stereo RCA to TRS 1/8” to TRS 1/4” to dual TS 1/4”, to XLR… All because you didn’t have a direct box that went straight from RCA to XLR, because another musician walked off with it after their show wrapped up at 2AM last night.

[-] [email protected] 5 points 7 months ago

Apparently there is at least one RadioShack open. I saw a dude post a video on YouTube about one he found in Wyoming.

[-] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago

There's one in Afton, Wy if that's what you're talking about. It has a giant "We Are Open!" sign that reminds me of Clerks

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[-] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago

And how much is the delivery fee?

[-] [email protected] 31 points 7 months ago

As long as whatever is on the other end doesn't reproduce anything at 60Hz or does so with a lot of loss and there are no heavy vibrations closeby (such as the speakers themselves), it should be fine.

[-] [email protected] 13 points 7 months ago

Why 60 Hz? Doesn't the frequency response of this antenna depend on the length/shape?

[-] [email protected] 14 points 7 months ago

Also the ever present buzz of the 50-60hz power all around you all the time depending on where you live.

[-] [email protected] 9 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

It's the one part of the radio spectrum that's also in the hearing range hence induced currents from it can be heard in an analog audio system and which would have a pretty decent amount of energy inside a building because it's being emitted pretty much all around by the mains power wires.

That said, you're right that depending on the length and shape those wires might not form a very good antenna for that frequency. Independently of that, I doubt there's enough energy around to directly affect speakers, but it might be enough if that wire goes to an amplifier which in turn powers the speakes.

That said, I'm from Digital Systems rather than Telecomms or Audio so take what I say on this as a semi-informed guess.

[-] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago

It does have a decent loop area in between the signal and return path and any flux passing through it will induce noise. This area is too small for 60 Hz, but there's a lot of microwave crap that would get picked up. If there isn't a low-pass analog filter before the next silicon junction then this RF EMI will get rectified down. If it's a sufficiently bad situation then you'll hear it. That's why you can hear garbage when you put your phone right next to crappy computer speakers.

[-] [email protected] 29 points 7 months ago

It's not stupid if it works. I can even see some artistry in that.

[-] [email protected] 15 points 7 months ago

Depends on your definition of "works". Do you want stabilityin your sound?

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[-] [email protected] 12 points 7 months ago

A body with one kidney works. I still want to keep my second kidney.

Just because something works doesn't mean it isn't stupid.

[-] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago

i choose to interpret this as you thinking kidneys are stupid.

[-] [email protected] 25 points 7 months ago

I'm not even mad, that's clean!

[-] [email protected] 16 points 7 months ago

it's complicated

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this post was submitted on 09 Dec 2023
782 points (99.1% liked)

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